The application period is open from October 9th 2025. Apply by 2 November 2025!
Would you be interested in serving as the voice of students within our university community? The Executive Board of the Student Union of the University of Turku (TYY) is elected annually to carry out the operations of the student union. Serving on the Board offers a front-row seat to influence study conditions at the University of Turku and to develop our shared student culture and community.
As a TYY board member, you will regularly collaborate with university leadership, campus cities, and other key stakeholders to make the University of Turku an even better place to study. You’ll also have opportunities to engage in national advocacy alongside other Finnish student unions and to work towards making the student years the best time of one's life.
The TYY board represents the student union and exercises general executive power within the framework of TYY’s regulations and the decisions of the Student Union Council. Board members are responsible for implementing the student union’s action plan and managing activities in various sectors. Each board member is in charge of one or more areas, such as educational affairs, social affairs, international affairs, organisations, student culture, corporate collaboration, development cooperation, environmental sector, communications and municipal policy. For more information about each sector’s work, you can contact current board members.
We are looking for a Chairperson and seven members of the Excecutive Board. Board work is a full-time position, where you work together with the rest of the Board and the specialists working at TYY. The work is done mainly during office hours, but the position also includes evening and weekend work. In return, board members are not required to be in the office from dawn till dusk every day, with the flexibility to work remotely when possible. Board members are paid a compensation monthly, amounting to approximately 800 € per month.
Working in the Executive Board requires a well-organised approach to work, the ability to work under pressure and good interpersonal skills. It also requires the ability to compromise and get along with different people.
When selecting board members, the Student Council pays particular attention to motivation and interest in the role, breadth of previous experience, presentation skills, learning and reflection skills, as well as teamwork and cooperation skills in general. Attention will also be paid to the candidate's awareness of what they are applying for: for example, a realistic understanding of the job description and a willingness to commit to the role and to devote sufficient time to it. On the other hand, the diversity and representativeness of the candidates and the overall composition of the Executive Board will also be taken into account. As a public administrative organisation, TYY follows gender parity in the selection of its board, i.e. 40% of the board must be women and 40% men, unless there are specific reasons to the contrary.
The term of office is one calendar year, with the new Executive Board taking office at the beginning of 2026.
How to run as a candidate for the TYY Executive Board?
The 2026-2027 TYY Student Council will elect the 2026 Executive Board at its meeting on Wednesday 26 November 2025. Proposals for the composition of the Executive Board come from the Student Council's representative groups.
Please contact the group of your choice and express your interest in working for a better student union and university community. Please also read the application process described below.
It is advisable for those interested in taking part in the TYY Executive Board to familiarize themselves beforehand with the documents that govern the activities of the Student Union. Important documents include the Student Union's strategy, action plan, policy paper and budget. Please note that the 2026 action plan and budget will not be adopted until the Student Council meeting on 19 November 2025, but you can view the draft documents here. The strategy and the policy paper adopted in Spring 2024 can be found here.
We will also be holding a board application briefing on Wednesday 29th of October online on Zoom: https://utu.zoom.us/j/68130555019. Attending this meeting does not bind you to applying for the board. THIS EVENT IS HELD BOTH IN ENG AND FIN!
We also recommend getting in touch with the current board and staff members to ask about current topics and useful materials for familiarizing yourself with the work. TYY will host an Open House at the office on 22 October from 2 to 4 p.m., where those interested in board work can come to chat and ask questions about it. The event is also open to anyone interested in TYY’s activities in general.
You can find TYY’s office on the first floor of Student House A, on the left-hand side from the main entrance (Rehtorinpellonkatu 4 A, 20500 Turku).
Application process
The application process for the TYY Executive Board includes the following steps: submitting an application, a short individual interview and a panel discussion.
Application
Please attach the following items to your application:
- Basic information:
- Your photo
- Name
- Gender (female, male, other) (not to be published)
- Email (not to be published)
- Phone number (will not be published)
- Group of representatives presenting
- Text (max. 2,500 characters including spaces):
- Who are you?
- Why are you applying for the TYY Board?
- Which sector(s) are you interested in working with?
- List:
- Relevant positions and work experience
Do not count the list within the 2,500 character limit.
Applications should be submitted by e-mail to the Chair of the Council, Elisa Hyvärinen, at eehyva@utu.fi by 23.59 on Sunday 2 November at the latest.
We will publish the information and photos of the candidates who applied for the post on TYY's website 4 November. If there is any content in your application or list that you do not wish to be published, please let us know when applying. Applicants' contact details, i.e. telephone number and e-mail address or gender, will not be published on the website.
Interview
As part of the selection process, board candidates will be invited for an interviews that will be recorded. Interviews will, in principle, take place face-to-face at the TYY Office 5-10 November. More detailed info will be send to candidates after 2 November.
Panel discussion
After the deadline for applications, TYY organises a panel discussion open to all applicants. Any TYY member can come and follow the discussion either live or online at TYY Youtube Channel.
The panel discussion will be held on Tuesday 11 November at 18:15-19:45 in the CAL 2 Lecture hall in Calonia, 2nd floor. After the application period, applicants will be informed on how to prepare for the debate.
Board negotiations
A proposal for the composition of the TYY Executive Board will be prepared through negotiations between the representative groups. Delegates from the representative groups will gather before the meeting to discuss the applications and put together the best possible mix of applicants. The negotiations are convened by the Chairs of the Student Council and are conducted in confidence. However, the formal election of the Chairperson and members of the Board will only take place at the Student Council meeting 26 November 2025.
Check out our blog post about the election process here.
More info:
Elisa Hyvärinen
eehyva@utu.fi
TYY Chair of the Student Union Council 2025